The term CV is certainly not limited to TESOL.If you are jobhunting,it is really quite imperative to know what a CV is...I tend to agree with Ben,,,,you mean you really never heard the term before?It is used in North America,along with resume.

Which is better to use or IS there a better one? I have had several discussions with people over this one.Some people prefer "resume" because they claim it is shorter,"punchy",and everyone knows "resume(although of course,if your keyboard lacks an accent mark character,there is the possibility of confusing it with the verb"resume")

Some people claim "curriculum vita"(I suppose the plural should be curricula vitae?Never taken Latin) sounds too pompous,but is okay and sounds impressive if you are applying for certain types of positions,especially academic positions.But if one is applying for a mechanic's job or a plumber's job,doesn't "curriculum vita" sound too grandiose?

Anyway,I hope the original poster knows what a CV is now....important thing to know.

Although people often use resume and CV interchangeably, there is supposed to be a difference. You've probably heard that resumes should be kept to one page, two at the most. A real CV is longer (2+ pages) and more detailed. Besides employment and educational experiences, it will include things like research, publications, awards, presentations, professional memberships, etc.

Which format should you use? Well, if you've got enough material for a real CV and the job post asks for a CV, give 'em a CV. On the other hand, people who are just starting out may struggle to come up with enough to put onto a one-page resume.

To Bnix:
"curriculum vitae" is the correct singular form; "vitae" is NOT plural, but the genitive case (for the English language, this is 'possessive').
The French "resumee" (with two 'e's with a aigue marker, one over the first 'e, the other over the first 'e' after the letter 'm' is a noun that has a somewhat similar meaning to 'abstract' (as a noun), as in 'abstract precis' (another Frenchism, I am afraid). CV and resumee can all refer to abridged, summary biographies. It is custom to add a cover letter when applying for a job.

"I can't believe you don't know this.
Is this all you have to offer? Why even respond to the post?"

I too found it ASTONISHING that a job seeker did not know about a cv. By the way don't they have dictionaries ? Or is it basic reference skills that are disappearing as everyone under 40 uses the web to answer their questions about everything ?

I certainly wasn't surprised that he didn't know it. There is a whole continent over here where it is never used. The first time I ever heard the term in my middle thirties was in the Middle East. Why should we be expected to know a term that is not used? And, BTW, if a person is asked for a 'CV' and goes to the dictionary to find it - nothing will be found. You need to know the Latin words to find it in the dictionary. Obviously, if one has never heard of it, one will not know the latin words that CV stands for. I thought it was only we Americans that were so parochial... can't remember where you are from Scot, but nice to know that we are not alone.

I always found it amusing that the Americans had chosen to use a French word, while the Brits had chosen to use a Latin term - why haven't we come up with a good 'English' word to describe this???

Well you make it pretty clear where you are from. Let me just say that I am from the part of Earth that is not the USA. Like so many of your fellow-countrymen you divide the world into two places : USA and non-USA. Who is parochial now ? "Scot" should tell you where I am from, but then you are probably severely geographically challenged !

"I can't believe you don't know this.
Is this all you have to offer? Why even respond to the post?"

I too found it ASTONISHING that a job seeker did not know about a cv. By the way don't they have dictionaries ? Or is it basic reference skills that are disappearing as everyone under 40 uses the web to answer their questions about everything ?

Good point. I agree with your comment re the dictionairies and some poster's over reliance on others to do their ground work for them.

Scot darling... don't be offended. The country of my birth was not a personal choice and note that it is clearly stated to the left of my message. Read my message again and you can see that it may very well have been a criticism of American parochialism. (my point was that it is not ONLY Americans that may have this little fault...)

I don't think that from my post, you could accuse me personally of being overly guilty of that sin. Perhaps when I first went overseas 20 years ago - all convinced of my world knowledge gleaned from my lifelong reading. Ah well, it at least gave me a basis on which to gather the realities of the rest of the world.

Not sure why you would think that I am "severely geographically challenged" from a message on CVs. I've actually been all around the world and am rather knowledgable. It is quite early on a Sunday morning here and I probably should have seen the connection between "scot" and your nationality. But, then I know lots of men named Scott who aren't. BTW, the two groups I enjoyed working with the most were the Scots and the Irish. Usually had good senses of humor... and knew how to give a good party.

Well here it ain't the weekend. Our weekend is Thursday and Friday and I am drowning in a sea of testpapers. Nice thing is that on Monday I am half-way through my week when the rest of Terra is having the start-of-the-week Monday Morning Blues.

But I will say again that I agree with Sunpower. People seem to rely more on the Internet and less on basic reference skills. Surely even the worst dictionary in the world (Websters ?) will have a list of common abbreviations ?

Last edited by scot47 on Mon Apr 14, 2003 9:28 am; edited 1 time in total